Solution eyed for home games at Linden’s field

For Linden High School’s football team, a resolution may be in the works that would enable the Patriots to return to play their home games at Linden Athletic Field.

By Alex ScarboroughSports Writer

LINDEN | For Linden High School’s football team, a resolution may be in the works that would enable the Patriots to return to play their home games at Linden Athletic Field.The Linden Athletic Association, which has owned the field for more than three decades after purchasing it from the city, has expressed interest in returning the field to the city. This comes on the heels of a decision made last week by the Linden board of education to reject the association’s proposed increase in fees and instead play its home games at Marengo High in Dixons Mills — a 20-mile drive from the school’s campus.Hale Smith, the president of Linden Athletic Association, has said it would be in the best interest of both schools that share the field — Marengo Academy and Linden High — if the city were to assume ownership of the property. Under its original contract to purchase the field in 1974, the Linden Athletic Association agreed that it would not sell the field and that ownership could only revert to the city.Smith, who couldn’t be reached for comment, was not present at the Linden City Council meeting Tuesday. In two weeks, the council will meet again. It is expected that Smith will make a presentation then.In recent days, the city has made steps to ensure Linden High’s football future. Linden City superintendent Tyrone Smith, Linden High principal Timothy Thurman and Linden High football coach Andro Williams scouted George P. Austin Junior High School’s field as a possible building site for a new football stadium for the Patriots.Up until 1978, Linden High used the field at George P. Austin Junior High for all its home games. The move to Linden Athletic Field was made because of the poor condition of the Austin field at the time.Marengo County superintendent Luther Hallmark said that if Linden High could come to an agreement to play elsewhere, he would allow the school out of the current contract of $850 per game in Dixons Mills. He said there would be no monetary penalty to void the contract.Linden High has three remaining home dates on its schedule before the start of playoffs. If the Linden Athletic Association were to offer Linden Athletic Field to the city in two weeks, it still might not be in time for any games to be played there. Several council members said the decision to take on the field would not be made in haste. Until Smith makes a proposal, the council will not deliberate on the possibility of taking over the field. It will be two weeks before Smith has an opportunity to make his proposal, and the council will take another two weeks before the next session to make its decision. Even then, the council could delay making an announcement.Linden Mayor Mitzi Gates said she has not been contacted by Smith and could not speak to the specific possibility of taking ownership of the property. The one hold-up for the city, though, could be the cost in upkeep of the field.“That’s the whole question — it’s an economic one,” Gates said. “We, like so many other cities, have had to zero out a lot of appropriations to a lot of agencies. We did that in an effort to make sure we didn’t have to lose any personnel, and that all has worked out quite well during the past year. But we are still at that point, so it would be a very difficult undertaking.”Gates has said on multiple occasions that her ultimate goal is to have Linden High football return to the city of Linden. Whether that happens in 2011 is uncertain.“Most people would like to see Linden High School play in Linden,” Gates said. “How that’s going to happen, I’m not really sure.“This year has already been decided, so I don’t know what other decisions can or will be made.”Williams said that playing on the road for the remainder of the season isn’t a problem for his team, so long as there’s finality to that decision. The Patriots are 2-0, having moved two home dates to Central High to start the year and Dixons Mills on Sept. 2.“It’s unfortunate. My mind-set about it is, ‘It is what it is,’ ” Williams said. “I just want to line up and play somewhere consistently.“At the end of the day, we’ll have to play on the road sooner or later.”